Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-17
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The parents of your Australian friend Chris have invited you to a surprise birthday party for him/her. Write a letter to Chris's parents. In your letter:
- say why you think Chris will enjoy the surprise party
- explain why you won't be able to attend the party
- give details of a plan to see Chris at a different time
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,
Student answer (Band 5.5)
Dear Mr and Mrs Collins,
I hope you’ll are doing well, I am pretty excited to know that you are planning to give surprise birthday party to Christ. As I know, Chris love surprise and He will so glad to see that. Also Currently, my exams are going on so due to busy schedule I can’t attend this party and I’m really sorry about that but once I got my exams finished, I have a whole month of semester break and I promise, I will come to meet you guys and Chris for sure.
See you Soon!
Simratpal Singh
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, as it is only 99 words long. While you have addressed all three bullet points—explaining why Chris will enjoy the party, stating your inability to attend, and proposing a future meeting—the development of these ideas is very limited. The letter lacks the necessary detail and expansion required to fully satisfy the task. To improve, you should elaborate on your points, such as describing specific shared interests with Chris or providing more concrete details about your upcoming semester break plans to reach the required length.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The letter is very brief and lacks a clear paragraph structure. While there is a basic logical flow, the lack of paragraphing makes the text appear as a single block, which is not appropriate for a formal or semi-formal letter. You have used some basic cohesive devices like 'Also' and 'but', but the transitions between ideas are somewhat abrupt. To improve, ensure you use clear paragraph breaks for each section of the letter (introduction, body paragraphs for each bullet point, and a closing) and use a wider range of linking words to connect your sentences more fluidly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally functional but quite basic. There are some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'give surprise birthday party' (should be 'throw a surprise birthday party') and 'Chris love surprise' (should be 'Chris loves surprises'). The range of vocabulary is limited, which prevents you from expressing your ideas with more precision. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more descriptive language and idiomatic expressions suitable for a letter to friends of your friend, and ensure you use the correct verb forms and pluralization.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'I hope you’ll are doing well' is incorrect (should be 'I hope you are doing well'), and 'once I got my exams finished' should be 'once I have finished my exams'. The sentence structures are mostly simple, and there is a lack of complex sentence variety. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma splices. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and refining your use of verb tenses will significantly improve the accuracy and readability of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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